— Patriots coach Bill Belichick was close to cutting Hernandez because of "missed practices and thug-life stunts."

— Henandez's parents, Dennis and Terri, both had criminal records, as does much of his extended family.

The magazine also looked at Hernandez's time at the University of Florida and reported that former Gators coach Urban Meyer "may have" covered up a failed drug test and two incidents involving Hernandez that were investigated by Gainesville police.

Sporting News' Matt Hayes reported last year that Meyer hid the drug test by telling media Hernandez was injured. Hayes also reported that Meyer created a culture at UF that produced numerous players with character issues.